#36 - Helen Robinson - Te Tāpui Atawhai — Auckland City Mission.

Helen grew up in Wellington, the third of five children, shaped by a family and faith community where caring for others was simply how life was lived. She studied law at Victoria University, spent 15 years at Challenge 2000, worked for Caritas internationally, and arrived at the Auckland City Mission 13 years ago — during the 19th week of a 13-week stand-down, living on a friend's couch in a Queen Street apartment. By the technical definition, she was homeless. By the end of that week, she had been offered a job leading a homeless team. She never left.In this episode, Helen reflects on what the Mission exists to do — be in genuine relationship with people who are suffering, and dare to ask why. She shares how HomeGround came to be, why Housing First changed everything, and what it means to hand someone the key to their first permanent home. And she talks about what New Zealand could be, if it chose to be.We'd like to thank Helen for taking the time to speak with us for this episode.And don't forget to subscribe to the CHA Hub Podcast—wherever you get your podcasts from.The CHA Hub Podcast is sponsored by our Founding Partner, Westpac New Zealand.